A blend of Gargenaga, Trebbiano, Trebbianello, Cortese and a small percentage of other white grapes for pizzazz! Sustainable farming. Imported by Kermit Lynch.    

        When on the hunt for crisp everyday whites, it is natural to turn to appellations like Chablis, Mâcon, or Sancerre—the tried and true old reliables. But with yields down in Burgundy and prices for good Sancerre slowly creeping up, why not branch out and travel off the beaten path to find real value and experience new flavors?
        That road leads right to Corte Gardoni, the Veneto farm run by the Piccoli family just south of Lake Garda. Founder Gianni Piccoli, who is all but retired and has handed the keys to the kingdom to his three sons, is something of a local legend. Having resisted the wave of globalization that saw native grape varieties uprooted in favor of international ones, this man is a hero to like-minded peers. And Gianni is an outlier in more ways than one: he has also proudly refused to raise his prices over the years, allowing us to continue offering his wines at bargain cost.
      Piccoli’s Custoza is incredibly complete—it is hard to think of anything out of place or missing—spring-fresh bouquet, complex flavors, good body, pleasant acidity, and a stimulating finish. Garganega is the secret weapon in the blend, while a number of other local grapes combine to complete the experience. This charming little Venetian white will dance a jig along with any platter you place in front of it. —Anthony Lynch

News Release: Thursday, October 18th, 2018

News Release: Thursday, October 18th

"Word is that Michele is serving her Maz Caz Wines for Thanksgiving with her family in Raleigh," says Gina Trippi, co-owner of MetroWines. "Michele tells us that this vintage of the Rose is especially perfect for the holiday table!"

About Michele d'Aprix in MountainX: https://metrowinesasheville.com/wine-blogs/blog/entry/mountainx-does-bordeaux

Philippe Bourgeois Goes "Behind the Bar @MetroWines" for a Thanksgiving Wine Tasting "on the house."

News Release: Wednesday, October 17th, 2018

When Megan and Steve Long's Rottweiler mix, Rocky, started having digestion problems, the couple needed a way to help him keep his food down.

Megan scoured the internet looking for remedies, but none seemed to do the trick.

"I'm not a crazy dog lady. I just really wanted to prolong my boy's life," she said.

Then she stumbled up a solution she could brew: "Beer" for dogs – a nonalcoholic beverage packed with healthy ingredients for pooches. Fast forward almost a year, and Good Boy Dog Beer company sells three different beers throughout Houston in more than 20 dog-friendly restaurants and bars.

And they're not alone. Across the U.S., dog "breweries" have sprouted up in the past 10 years crafting beverages for dogs that allow owners to share a cold one with their pet while also giving them with a nutritious treat.

Entire Story HERE!

From The Wall Street Journal

Oct. 4, 2018 9:48 a.m. ET

About Mutual

News Release: Friday, October 12th

We had a rollicking, rollicking I say, night at the October Wine Focus Group @MetroWines. Stacy Strong of Empire Distriution hosted presenting four wines and Any Hale, Director of The Asheville Shool of Wine, added commentary on fining, filtering as well as describing what "biodynamic" is all about. We leaned. We laughed. We left with confidence.

Yangarra PF Shiraz from McLarenvale, Australia, was the wine that nearly everyone agreed upon. Made more in the old world style than other popular versions of Shiraz, Yangarra has returned to the tradition of Shiraz. Rather than a big, let's be frank here, fruitbomb, Yangarra presents complexity in flavors and aromas in a slightly lighter body. Comments of leather and chocolate were common. And this is what we like to hear when a wine is presented, that the wine is so well made that you can actually identify flavors!

The Focus Group was of the opinion that this wine stood in a class of its own. Yangarra is a new world wine made with old world traditions and minimal, if any, interference from vine to bottle. The Group thought this wine coudl be served chilled and could handle a concoction of flavors that you might find on a holiday table. Shop Yangarra @MetroWines!

Winery Notes:

PF (Preservative Free) Shiraz is made from grapes grown on our certified biodynamic single-estate vineyard, grown without herbicides, fungicides or synthetic chemicals. It is made without additions of any kind: sulphur (preservative), acid, tannin or finings. It’s medium bodied, fresh, fruit driven wine that is delicious enjoyed as a young wine. With that in mind, we do have PF shiraz back to our first vintage of 2013 that is still showing some of lovely vibrant characters.

DETAIL

About This Franconia

 100% Franconia violets, pomegranate and blueberrry. Less than four miles from the border with Slovenia - the Visintini Family continues the work of their great-grandfather, Domenico, who bought the estate in the late 1800s. Their wine cellar dates to the 1200s but their winery is very modern. This Franconia is hand-harvested and fermented in cement tanks. No manuiulation or additives. Clean Wine. While work in the cellar is minimal, Visintini's work in the vineyards is extensive. With certified organic vines moving toward biodynamic, the Visintinis are continuing the 800 year legacy of their land. Heavier, creamy cheeses and spicy sausages are great pairs fr this Franconia!

About Visinitini from Piedmont Wine Imports in Durham

Palmira, Oliviero and Cinzia Visintini are wine geeks of the best kind. You can see Slovenia from their farm, it’s the next line of low hills on the horizon, 6km away. Their grandfather Domenico Visintini bought the estate and its ruined medieval tower in 1884. A respectable portion of the original 13th century cellar is crammed with Palmira Visintini’s personal wine stash. Amphorae of biodynamically farmed Pignolo line the hallway outside, wine that won’t be ready to sell until 2016. In another restored alcove rest bottle of Refosco di Peduncolo Rosso and other cool indigenous grapes: Fruili actually has more indigenous reds than whites. The Visintini siblings do fine work with both.

Visintini is a clean, organized, efficient modern winery. The family are intellectual and inquisitive about wine, connected to the larger world outside of the Colli Orientali DOP and at the same time very aware of farms making interesting wine in Friuli. It’s fun to watch them hang out and talk shop with other growers in the local oenoteca in Cormons. Gossip about Colli Orientali and Collio is passed around, along with many bottles of the best wines of each DOP. And abundant prosciutto.  

The Visintinis farm twenty five hectares of indigenous grapes (Ribolla, Verduzzo, Friulano, Franconia) the bulk of which are in close proximity to the cellar. The winery was significantly expanded in 1976 by Andrea (the trio’s father) allowing for their current robust 140,000 bottle annual production, more or less. The new portion built by Andrea rests a full six meters underground, perfect for long term storage of the estate’s amphorae and bottle-aged reds. Andrea also installed the mixture of cement and stainless steel tanks that are used to ferment and age Visintini’s white wines. Their guiding principle in the cellar is to do as little as possible. In the fields Oliviero is charting a path toward biodynamic agriculture. After years of organic farming they are recently certified, and have begun making their own biodynamic composts and other preparations.  

News Release: October 9th, 2018

100% Sangiovese Rose Imported by Kermit Lynch

SESTI

Although he always enjoyed visiting vineyards and attending tastings, Giuseppe Maria “Giugi” Sesti did not initially choose a career in wine. Instead, his Venetian upbringing inspired him to study music, art, and astronomy, the last of which became his profession. He met his future wife in North Wales while writing his first book on this topic, and in 1975 Giugi and Sarah moved their family to Tuscany, where they bought the abandoned ruins of the hamlet and castle of Argiano, slowly clearing the land and restoring the buildings to create the breathtaking estate we see there today. Giugi was now a father of four, vice-director of a local Baroque opera festival, and actively writing books on astronomy, but he miraculously found spare time to visit local wineries and help his neighbors in the vineyards and cellar. His passion for wine grew along with his experience, and in 1991 he planted his own vineyards on the slopes around the castle. The children helped pick and stomp grapes from the earliest age, and though they, too, pursued international studies in various fields, they always managed to come home for the harvest. In 1999 the couple’s only daughter, Elisa, joined the estate full time, and today she is an active partner in all aspects of the vineyard management and winemaking.

While helping out at neighboring estates Giugi observed that simplicity and careful attention were the most important factors in producing great wines, while chemical intervention skewed their delicate balance; so he determined to make entirely natural wines right from the start. He even took a pioneering extra step by applying his prodigious knowledge of the moon’s influence on living things to his vineyard management and winemaking. Today the family continues this thoroughly eco-friendly philosophy (although no official certification currently meets their personal standards), and Elisa’s primary concern is the materia prima, or raw material, that goes into the wine. The Sesti lineup includes a white Sauvignon and a Sangiovese Rosato born directly of necessity, since the family wanted something light and cooling to drink under the hot summer sun; they were forced to increase production when visiting friends and clients tried these wines and started placing orders. But their basic trio—the Brunello, Brunello Riserva “Phenomena,” and Rosso di Montalcino—provides traditional expressions of the appellation, robust and powerful yet refreshing, with great aging potential in the Brunellos.

News Release: Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018

Tickets HERE!

News Release: Tuesday, October 2nd, 2018 About: Seated French Wine Tasting @MetroWines   Philippe Bourgeois hosts a seated tasting of five of his imported French Wines paired with small plates of charcuterie and French cheeses on Wednesday, October 17th from 5:30 to 6:30 @MetroWines.    Wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux and Chateauneuf du Pape from the Bourgeois Portfolio.   Please call (828) 575-9525 for reservations or shop in our online store: https://metrowinesasheville.com/store/special-events/.   Contact for MetroWines: Gina Trippi Charlotte Street! It's the Next BIG Thing! gina@MetroWinesAsheville.com "Big Shop Selection. Small Shop Service" Shop:  828-575-9525 google: https://goo.gl/knC8LP http://www.metrowinesasheville.com/ http://ashevilleschoolofwine.com/ http://www.blindtastingleague.com/ http://www.metrowinesasheville.com/brew-blog             metrowinesasheville@gmail.com" data-hovercard-id="metrowinesasheville@gmail.com" style="width: 32px; height: 32px; border-radius: 50%;"> ReplyForward

 

 

The Wine of Tenute del Cerro

Giacomo Alari, Export Sales Manager

will present and discuss these wines paired with Small Plates from STRADA

on Friday, September 21st from 5:30 to 6:30

Event Sponsored by "Ciao Asheville" The Asheville Italian Cultural Forum

*** Tickets HERE! ***

Tenute del Cerro is composed of five estates including four wine estates in two of the most important regions of Italy, Toscana and Umbria, with almost 5000Ha of owned land, of which approximately 300 are vineyards.

Awards and prizes given by the Italian and foreign press to Fattoria del Cerro‘s Vino Nobile di Montepulcianos, La Poderina’s Brunello di Montalcinos and Colpetrone’s Montefalco Sagrantinos are testament to Tenute del Cerro’s uncompromising work in harmony with the territory and the commitment of highly qualified staff who is deeply linked to the history of wines and production area.

Fattoria del Cerro Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG 2014, Tuscany                              

100% Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese clone) aged 12 months French and Slavonian oak barrels                                 

“Tre Bicchieri”                                                              - Gambero Rosso Guide to Italian Wines 2018           

“A layered and ripe red with plum and chocolate character. Medium body, soft and velvety tannins and a delicious

finish. Just right now.”                                                                          - 91 points, JamesSuckling.com

La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2013, Tuscany                                                             

100% Sangiovese Grosso                                                                                                                                     

Aged 25 months in French barriques (1/3), tonneaux (1/3) and 110Hl Slavonian oak casks (1/3)                                                   

“The 2013 Brunello di Montalcino is a beautiful wine and a protagonist of this vintage. I love the purity of the fruit

and the direct manner in which it is delivered. This wine exhibits intensity and a careful sense of balance in which

dark cherry fruit and blackberry are folded into spice, tar and licorice. The effect is seamless and elegant. This wine

has the inner flexibility to drink in the near or the long term.”                             - 94 points, Wine Advocate
                                                                                                                                               

“Dark ruby-red. Strong notes of aromatic herbs, flint and licorice complicate red cherry and berry aromas and flavors.

Very long, fresh and clean, offering serious but polished tannins, this classic Brunello ought to age and develop nicely.”

                                                                                                                    - 92+ points, Vinous

Colpetrone Rosso di Montefalco DOC 2013/14, Umbria 

70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Merlot aged 12 months in Slavonian oak barrels                                       

“The 2013 Montefalco Rosso is a dense and hearty red wine with ample structure and concentration. The wine is

infused with pressed cherry, blackberry, Christmas spice and cured tobacco.”        - 89 points, Wine Advocate

“A round and velvety red showing chocolate, walnut and wet-earth character together with plummy fruit. Medium

body, soft texture and a delicious finish. Why wait on this one?” - 92 points, JamesSuckling.com (2013 vintage)

Colpetrone Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG 2011, Umbria                                                 

100% Sagrantino aged 12 months in heavy-toast French barriques, followed by 24 months in cement tanks                  

and then 36 months in stainless steel tanks

“So much pressed lavender to the nose here as well as the classic brambleberries but also some hints of sour

cherries, leather and Chinese spices. This is full and delicious with mouth-coating tannins, driven acidity and a

compact yet long finish. Better in 2020.”                                                    - 93 points, JameSuckling.com

Fattoria del Cerro Vin Santo di Montepulciano “Sangallo” DOC 2013, Tuscany 

60% Trebbiano and 40% Malvasia dried 120 days; fermented and aged 24 months in 100L caratelli                             

(Extremely limited – vintage sold out)                                                                                                                                    

Thought you might be interested in seeing this just released study of the wine and liquor markets across the US.
It was included in the WIne Growers News from Iowa State University.
https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/544043/2018_Webinars/4.0%20BevAlc%20(June%2020,%202018)/White%20Paper/2018%20TABS%20Bev-Alc%20Study%20FINAL.pdf?t=1536853786854

Some of the key findings from this survey include:
        1       66% of U.S. adult consumers (21+) purchase alcohol beverages with 45% regulary purchasing wine and 35% regularly purchasing liquor. 
        2       Consumers in the Northeast purchase more alcohol than on the West coast. 
        3       A similar percentage of both men & women purchase wine. 
        4       The of wine purchasers continues to grow steadily from 55% of those with an annual income of $125-$149K - $149,000 to 68% of those with an income of $250K+. 
        5       Non-Hispanic whites tend to purchase more wine than other ethnicities, while non- Hispanic blacks and Asians indicate they purchase liquor at greater levels. 
        6       Only 5% of regular wine purchasers and 9% of regular liquor purchasers strongly agreed that they would cut back on those purchases when cannabis was legal. 
        7       Only 19% of regular wine purchasers say they know wine brands, and fewer – 16% say they look for deals. 
        8       Walmart (29%) is the leading retail outlet for wine and number two for liquor (20%) in the U.S. 
        9       Point of purchase is very important as consumer behaviors can shift dramatically.